4 minute read
TINY HOUSES
to support each other to break through some of the mindsets around women working in the constructions industry. We have come along way from where we were, but there is still a fair way to go.”
The Unions play a big role in the mission to advocate for women in male dominated industries and their rights generally. The PPTEU have seen the need to push for more education in the space, through tool box talks with starting apprentice using the NAWIC Passport to Diversity at induction days, to the uptake of the Male Allies Program, with the hopes to roll this our in 2023 do Delegates, Members and Union Officials across the state. Thank you to Damian O’Sullivan for making it his business to speak up and speak out for women’s rights, to encourage women in the Construction Industry and to see that more women and girls have opportunities to embrace careers in the Construction industry by breaking the bias, breaking down barriers and being proud to advocate for change. Rian Kelso
PPTEU State Secretary Gary O’Hallaran, NAWIC QLD President Sheree Taylor, PPTEU QLD President and Mzale Ally award recipient Damian O’Sullivan and the Hon Mick de Brenni, Minister for Energy and Public Works.
– Here’s How to Turn It Around
Productivity in Australia’s infrastructure industry is declining while unfilled vacancies and candidate shortages continue to prevail.
The market is extremely competitive, with 31% of employers in October 2022 intending to increase their staffing levels over the following three months - an increase of 3% since the same time last year. Recruitment difficulty in Australia as of October 2022 sits at 70% - an increase of 16% since the same time last year.
It is no secret that candidates have a lot of power in these circumstances and our current default solution of offering high counteroffers is not sustainable.
Your company’s strongest asset for attracting talent will be its employer brand. Your company’s employer brand influences the idea people have of what it would be like to work at your company. Employer branding works very much like regular branding. How are you communicating your brand to others? What message about your brand is being spread through word-of-mouth?
From what people see about your brand to what they experience throughout the recruitment process and their experiences while they are employed with you, there are many touchpoints where you can have influence on what people think. Therefore, what you put out and what you do should be preceded by careful consideration of how you want to position your employer brand.
Assess your retention strategy
If salary is the only thing keeping your employees from leaving, you can bet another company will offer them a higher salary to take them from you.
Differentiate yourself from your competition by offering benefits that appeal to your employees and aligns with the nature of your business. Offering a paid day off to employees on their birthday is a common benefit but with tight deadlines, this might not be suitable for companies in this industry. Benefits you could consider include, and are not limited to: ⋅ Corporate health insurance ⋅ Free food ⋅ Subsidies for further study ⋅ Employee assistance programs ⋅ Subsidies for PPE
Apart from retaining employees, offering benefits will lead to a happier, more productive, and culturally supportive workforce.
Diversify your workforce and encourage inclusion
Equality, diversity, and inclusion are all proven precursors to innovation, high performance, and the cultivation of supportive work environments. Creative and critical thinking skills thrive in supportive work environments.
To move forward, we should look at unfilled vacancies as an opportunity to diversify the industry and attract more people into infrastructure in Australia. Women account for only 12% of the industry, the lowest industry participation rate in Australia.
Setting up a more inclusive workplace is one step employers can take to attract a diverse pool of candidates. This means having processes in place to address sexual harassment, offering additional parental leave, ensuring there are adequate facilities, and implementing initiatives that aim to reduce marginalisation of a group employees.
Rethink the recruitment process
Candidates are people and people are impatient. Having friction or hurdles throughout your recruitment process could mean the difference between securing great talent or losing them to your competition.
Think carefully about your current process and remove unnecessary steps or fast track any processes if possible. For that entry-level role, do you really need to have that third interview? Is that contract ready to be sent out? Do it now!
Clearly define key details in your job ads. If this person must travel, tell them where they’ll go and how often. Define the specific suburb they will be working in rather than stating the general city. A candidate might live only 15 minutes away
